Debate reopens about fate of historic Enders property in Cazenovia

View full sizeJim Commentucci / The Post-StandardThe historic Enders House stands along Rt. 20 just east of the village of Cazenovia.

A two-story Federal-style home and barn built by a Revolutionary War Veteran in the early 1800s has reignited an ongoing debate between local preservation advocates and proponents of development in the village of Cazenovia.

Now known as the Enders property, the Zephaniah Comstock Farmhouse was among two dozen historic properties in the town of Cazenovia that were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

Thursday night, a public hearing on the request by developer and owner David Muraco to demolish the house drew a standing-room only-crowd of more than 50 concerned residents to the Gothic Cottage on Albany Street, which was built in 1847 and donated to the town for use as office space.

Muraco has said he wants to raze the home, which he is currently renting out, in hopes of developing the 2-acre parcel of land.

In his 111-page application to the town planning board, Muraco emphasized that the state and national registers do not prohibit his plans.

“There are no restrictions placed on private owners of registered properties,” the report says, citing the Historic Preservation Act of 1966. “Private property owners may sell, alter or dispose of their property as they wish.”

He said modern upgrades have diminished the home’s historic integrity, including replacing original windows and shutters with vinyl, replacing the original clapboard siding with laminate, and the removal of decorative molding around the windows.

“Much of the original building materials have been replaced with more efficient and economical alternatives rather than maintaining the historic attributes,” the report says.

Architect John Goodman, a consultant hired by Muraco, said he was saddened when he saw the building.

“It has been butchered,” he said. “There is very little of the original detailing that remains.”

Ted Bartlett, who leads the village’s historic preservation and architectural advisory review committee, disagreed with the impact of the changes, citing a Dec. 14 letter from the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

“This property is an important part of the early 19th century history and architecture of Cazenovia and it remains listed on the registers in spite of several superficial changes in recent years,” wrote Historic Preservation Field Services Bureau Director Mark Peckham.

The sides also disagree about how the town’s comprehensive plan addresses the situation.

Muraco, who also owns nearby Town and Country Plaza, says the document sets aside the northern portion of Route 20 as an appropriate location for commercial development.

But Cazenovia Preservation Foundation President Pringle Simmons pointed to a section of the document that endorses “identifying, protecting and enhancing all gateways to the village to maintain the distinction between its character and the rural town character.”

Together with the nearby Maples farmstead — a Greek revival farmhouse with stately columns built in 1835 and also listed on the historic registers — the Enders property frames the east entry to the village along Route 20.

Similar historic landmarks greet visitors at the western edge of the village, including Lorenzo State Historic Site.

Town historian Sara Chevako called the proposed demolition “appalling.”

“A community which is respectful of its past can ill afford to wantonly destroy a piece of its historic fabric,” she said. “Many of these early buildings are still in use and are a testament to the flow of history, from the past to the present to the future.”

Resident Roger DeMuth recommended holding off on a decision until a plan for redevelopment is submitted.

“A car wash will never look like that Federal-style building,” DeMuth said. “A little town doesn’t have too much besides its history. And when it is gone, it is gone.”

DeMuth mentioned other cities that have found new uses for historic properties — including a cobblestone building in Rochester that now houses a Starbucks.

“There’s a way to do this to appease both parties,” he said. “It can be more valuable as a historic property.”

The planning board will continue to accept written comments until Jan. 16. The board will hold a work session Jan. 25 and a regular meeting Feb. 2. A decision is not expected until April or May.

Zephaniah Comstock was born in Connecticut in 1792 and came to Cazenovia in 1810. He was a member of the Cazenovia Artillery that was organized in 1815.
When he bought the property in 1820, Comstock was listed as an “overseer of the highway,” a practice that dates to a time when landowners were responsible for the maintenance of roads near their lands, before there was a highway department.
The farmhouse was built in 1830 and has been privately owned since then.
Census records from the mid-1800s show Comstock owned 165 acres, $3,550 in real property, $200 in personal property, and owed $15.37 in taxes.
Zephaniah Comstock died in 1878 at age 86 and left his house and estate to his son, Julius Comstock.